Washington Nationals vs Texas Rangers Prediction 8/20/2026 Today’s MLB Picks

In this article, we will formulate a Nationals vs Rangers Prediction for this MLB matchup on Thursday, August 20th in the third game of this series. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.

Texas Rangers Preview

The Texas Rangers have a 62-65 record this season and are sitting in 2nd place in the AL West. They have a 33-28 home record and are coming off a 0-6 home loss against the Nationals. They will face the Angels and the White Sox next.

The Texas Rangers have a .242 batting average this season, a .315 OBP, and a .393 slugging percentage. The Rangers’ pitching staff has a 4.28 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Josh Jung leads the Rangers with a .294 batting average. Jake Burger leads the team in RBI with 73, while Joc Pederson adds a team-high 22 home runs.

Jacob deGrom (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Rangers, and he has an 8-8 record, a 3.95 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP.

Washington Nationals Preview

The Washington Nationals have a 61-67 record this season and are sitting in 4th place in the NL East. They have a 34-31 road record and are coming off a 6-0 road win against the Rangers. They will face the Marlins and the Rockies next.

The Washington Nationals have a .251 batting average this season, a .326 OBP, and a .437 slugging percentage. The Nationals’ pitching staff has a 4.69 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. CJ Abrams leads the Nationals with a .279 batting average and a team-high 91 RBI, while James Wood adds a team-high 30 home runs.

Andrew Alvarez (L) is the projected starting pitcher for the Nationals, and he has a 2-4 record, a 3.72 ERA, and a 1.33 WHIP.

Washington Nationals @ Texas Rangers Betting Trends: August 20, 2026

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Jacob deGrom      Record this season: 8-8      ERA: 3.95
• Home Record: 5-2
• Last 5 against Nationals: 2-0

Why the Texas Rangers will win

• The Rangers have won each of their last eight games following a home loss.
• The Nationals have lost each of their last five games against American League opponents following a win.
• The Nationals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last five games against American League opponents following a win.
• The Rangers have covered the run line in four of their last five games following a home loss.
• The Nationals have lost the first inning in three of their last four games as road underdogs against AL West opponents.
• The Rangers have led after 3 innings in five of their last six night games against NL East opponents that held a losing record.
• The Nationals have trailed after 5 innings in four of their last five games as road underdogs against AL West opponents.

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Andrew Alvarez      Record this season: 2-4      ERA: 3.72
• Road Record: 1-2
• Last 5 against Rangers: –

Why the Washington Nationals will win

• The Rangers have lost seven of their last eight games as favorites against NL East opponents.
• The underdogs have won six of the Rangers’ last eight games.
• The Rangers have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight home games against NL East opponents.
• The Nationals have covered the run line in seven of their last eight games as road underdogs against American League opponents following a win.
• The Nationals have led after 3 innings in five of their last six night games.
• The Rangers have trailed after 5 innings in six of their last seven games against NL East opponents.

Total Runs Facts

• Each of the last seven games between the Nationals and Rangers have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• Eight of the Nationals’ last nine games as underdogs against the Rangers have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• There has been at least one run scored in the first inning in each of Jacob deGrom’s last seven home appearances as a starter.
• There has been at least one run scored in the first inning in five of the Nationals’ last six games as road underdogs against American League opponents.

Texas Rangers Player Prop Facts

• Wyatt Langford has hit a home run in three of the Rangers’ last five games as favorites against NL East opponents.
• Jacob deGrom has recorded a win in six of his last seven appearances against NL opponents.
• Jacob deGrom has recorded seven or more strikeouts in each of his last eight appearances with the Rangers as favorites against NL opponents.
• Corey Seager has recorded two hits in four of his last five appearances against NL East opponents.

Washington Nationals Player Prop Facts

• Andrew Alvarez has recorded five or more strikeouts in each of his four previous appearances with the Nationals as underdogs against AL opponents.
• Keibert Ruiz has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 11 road appearances against AL opponents.
• Andres Chaparro has hit at least one home run in three of his last four appearances in night games against AL teams that held a losing record.
• Nasim Nunez ranks 1st in the league in Steals (40) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Rangers rank 28th in the league for doubles this season (179).
• The Rangers rank 26th in the league for steals this season (60).
• The Nationals rank 1st in the league for runs scored this season (676).
• The Nationals rank 1st in the league for home runs this season (182).

Nationals vs Rangers Prediction

The Rangers are 3-1 in their last 4 meetings against the Nationals and have won two of their last three meetings in Texas.

In this Nationals vs Rangers Prediction, the Rangers are coming as -155 home favorites. I like the pitching in this matchup as deGrom is deGrom and Alvarez has been in excellent form, having given up two runs or less in each of his last four starts. Alvarez has been better on the road with a 3.12 ERA and deGrom better at home with a 2.93 ERA, while both offenses have been ice-cold lately and as a result, both teams are a perfect 14-0 to the under in their last 14 games combined. Take the under 8 in this one.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: Under 8